OR Car Insurance

If you are like any of the thousands of drivers on the road every day, then it is likely that you or someone in your household has obtained Oregon car insurance to both satisfy the legal liability requirements of the Oregon, as well as to protect your vehicle, the occupants, and other peoples autos and property.

While getting a OR auto insurance quote is a fairly easy process, especially with the convenience of online shopping, many people still do not understand exactly what types of car insurance are available and how the types differ. Here we'll discuss the main car insurance policy types and optional coverages and also go over examples of what the coverage options insure. This way, the next time you request a Oregon car insurance quote, you will be better equipped to make an informed decision.

What Does Oregon Car Insurance Cover?

Auto insurance covers three types of liabilities, or losses. They are:

Property - damage to or theft of vehicles.

Liability - the policyholders liability, or legal obligation for the property or bodily injury of others when the driver is at fault.

Injury - the medical treatment, long term care, loss of wages, or even funeral expenses of anyone who is injured in an accident.

Oregon requires that drivers have liability insurance. Oregon car insurance policies generally are renewed on a biannual or annual basis.

Oregon car insurance has many coverages - so it's important to research the options, see what OR requires and what coverages are optional, and how each can protect you in the vent of an accident or other loss. OR auto insurance policies contains at least one or more of the following specific types of coverage and each option is priced separately (this is not an exhaustive list):

Bodily Injury Liability: This type of car insurance coverage protects the policy holder as well as any other drivers listed on the policy by covering medical costs for injuries caused to other motorists. Oftentimes, people will increase the minimum coverage to protect their other assets in the event that an injured motorist sues for additional damages because your automobile insurance will pay up to the limits on the policy - you are out of pocket for expenses that exceed those limits.

Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection: Should injury to the policy holder or any other occupants of the insured vehicle occur in an accident, this portion of the auto insurance policy will cover the medical bills, lost wages and funeral costs. This option is also known as PIP (Personal Injury Protection).

Property Damage Liability: Property damage liability is the most common type of coverage option and one which is required by law. It covers damage caused by the policy holder (or anyone permitted to drive the insured vehicle) to another vehicle or other type of property such as signs, fences, telephone poles, buildings, etc.

Collision: This type of coverage offers protection for the policy holders vehicle if damage occurs as a result of an collision with another vehicle, object, or even if your vehicle ends up flipping over. Damages caused by potholes are also covered under collision coverage. Even if the policy holder is at fault, collision insurance will cover the repair for damages minus the deductible amount. If the policyholder is not at fault, the insurance company will attempt to recover the costs paid to its policyholder through the other motorists insurance company and if successful, will also reimburse its policyholders' paid deductible amount too.

Comprehensive: Comprehensive insurance covers the cost of theft of the vehicle or damages/repairs caused by anything other than another vehicle or object. Damages such as those caused by fires, natural disasters, bombs, vandalism, or collisions with animals such as deer. This option also covers shattered or cracked windshields. Both collision and comprehensive coverage are usually optional however if a car is leased, many times the lender will require this type of coverage in addition to liability.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: If an accident occurs with an uninsured driver or if the other driver does not have sufficient coverage to pay for the full extent of damages, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage will cover the outstanding expenses. This option also protects the policyholder if involved in a hit and run accident or if hit while a pedestrian.

Gap Insurance: This protects you if your car is totaled and you owe more on the loan or lease than the insurance company pays out. It is usually taken on cars that are 3 years old or less.

Rental Reimbursement: This coverage pays for a rental car if your auto is in the repair shop following a covered comprehensive or collision claim.

Roadside Assistance (Towing & Labor): Much like AAA, this coverage offers a jump start, gas delivery, a flat tire change, even the services of a qualified locksmith of you break down.

What Oregon Car Insurance Doesn't Cover

Also know as exclusions, which remove risk from the insurer, car insurance typically does not cover:

Personal belongings inside your auto. Do if someone breaks into your car and steals your laptop - the window would be covered but the computer would not.

People who live in the same home as you but are not listed on the policy. A basic car insurance policy generally covers you and other people who don't live with you and who have permission to occasionally use your vehicles. Members of your household must be listed on your policy to have coverage.

The balance of your car loan is your vehicle is totaled. See gap insurance above.

What Are Oregon's Financial Responsibility Requirements?

According to the OR Department of Motor Vehicles:

Oregon law requires that automobile policies provide a minimum level of liability coverage. There are two main reasons for this requirement. First, it ensures that motor vehicle drivers can respond to damages in liability. Second, it ensures that all motor vehicle accident victims are compensated for injuries that they sustain. Every auto insurance policy issued in Oregon must provide coverage for at least:

$25,000 for bodily injury to or the death of one person

$50,000 for bodily injury to or the death of two or more persons

$10,000 for property damage to the property of others

Liability insurance compensates a person other than the policy holder for personal injury or property damage. Comprehensive or collision insurance does not meet vehicle financial responsibility requirements.

How Much Does Oregon Car Insurance Cost?

How much does Oregon car insurance cost? The average price of auto insurance varied widely based on certain factors. The premiums vary depending on the company and their underwriting rules, and it depends on the coverages and deductible selected. Following are some of the main factors that go into the price of a policy:

Geographical location - The more dangerous your OR location is the higher premiums you will pay as there is a higher probability for claims. If you live in a highly populated urban area (like Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco), accidents and insurance claims happen more often and rate are higher.

Age - Typically drivers under 25 pay more because statistically shown to be inexperienced behind the wheel, easily distracted and to crash more often. They are on of the riskiest category of drivers to insure.

Insurance Regulations In Orgeon

Let's take a look at insurance in Oregon. There are definitely some state regulations that govern insurance in the state of Oregon. You should become familiar with what these regulations are, even if they do not necessarily apply to you.

You will be much better informed about insurance if you know what types of insurance businesses are required by law and what types they normally get regardless of law. You also may want to know the regulations governing personal insurance such as automobile insurance and life insurance. Let's take a closer look at OR insurance regulations.

Oregon Business Insurance

The first type of insurance that we will start with is business insurance. Specifically, we will be discussing general liability insurance. Commercial liability, sometimes called general liability, is a type of insurance that protects your business in case someone slips and falls on your floor or experiences roofing materials falling on their car that does damage. There are many other situations in which general liability insurance may kick in.

There are also some types of insurance that are mandated by law including Worker's Compensation insurance for any company that has one or more people working for them full-time or part-time.

Oregon does not have any laws stipulating that companies must carry disability insurance like in many states, but if there are vehicles being used for commercial purposes, then they must carry commercial auto insurance.

OR Personal Insurance

There are definitely some regulations that govern the auto insurance that normal motorists are required to carry on their vehicle. These are pretty standard across the states and match what is required in most. In Oregon, you are required to carry $25,000 per person for bodily injury and $50,000 per accident for the same. Property damage is a little higher than you will find in other states at $20,000 per accident and there is also an additional requirement that requires a personal injury protection amount of $15,000 per person.

Finally, there are regulations governing life insurance in Oregon as well. Unlike most states, there is no free look period for life insurance. However, there is the normal grace period Of 30 days when it comes to late payments. Lastly, insurance companies are required to make payment within 30 days of receiving notification of the death described in the policy. If they do not make payment within 30 days then the person that is the beneficiary of the policy may receive interest as well.